Albany plans annexation to lure fish park

MUNCIE – The town of Albany doesn’t want to be left out of a proposed aquaculture park just west of town along Ind. 67.

As a result, the town council has asked its attorney, John Brooke, to begin the legal process to annex the property into the town.

Proposed by the Delaware County Redevelopment Commission, the aquaculture park, currently in unincorporated Delaware County, would seek to attract fish farms, a fish emulsion fertilizer plant, a fish food mill and aquaculture research and development enterprises.

Phil Evans, town council president, says Albany does not want to “end up like other surrounding communities,” such as Eaton and Redkey, “that have just become bedroom communities.”

“We’ve got to make it more attractive for business to move here,” he said. “Albany has lost business. We had three tool and die shops that are no longer here. The town needs to do something to remain viable.”

The county redevelopment commission is proposing a tax increment financing (TIF) district that would earmark the new property tax revenue generated by the aquaculture park to finance road, utility and drainage improvements for the park, believed to be the first in the state.

“We think it’s a positive move for the town,” Evans said. “It would not have been as positive if the county developed the park. We would want it in the town not only for growth but let’s face it, the tax base.”

The town’s attorney plans to contact the property owners, identified as Thomas and James Current, to determine whether they would be agreeable to asking to be annexed into Albany.

“I have been told if they come to the town and request annexation, it expedites the process,” Evans said. “If you don’t have someone come to you, then annexation would take much longer.”

The site, west of a Dollar General store, is owned by heirs scattered across the United States, the town council president told The Star Press.

Another reason for Albany to take control of the proposed TIF district, Evans said, is, “How are you going to draw somebody here if there is no sewage and water? The utilities are owned by the town.”

The proposed annexation area is 45 acres.

Because Albany has no redevelopment commission to help the town establish a TIF district, it will have to create a commission.

“We would do our own commission but work closely with the county on any contacts and relationship-building they have done with potential businesses,” Evans said. “We started looking at what was being planned by the county because we want to see Albany grow and survive as a town.”

The proposed aquaculture park is just south of Bell Aquaculture. The nation’s largest producer of yellow perch, Bell is transitioning to rainbow trout and coho salmon at its indoor recirculating system.

The town has no plans to annex Bell, which recently celebrated the grand opening of its fish food mill that has capacity to produce 2.2 million pounds of feed per month.

“I have met with Bell a couple of times and went to their open house,” Evans said. “The more I heard and researched, it makes logical sense that aquaculture is an area of opportunity for Albany.”

Evans said he knows of no opposition in Albany to the annexation. Several neighbors of Bell have been complaining about odors and drainage problems coming from the fish farm, but Evans said those neighbors live outside of Albany.